When to plant your favourite seeds


F 20 • Foodie 2012


or the past decade, gar- deners have been under the spell of big growers, many from the United States, but not a few from Canada, who have


been producing ever more fantastic annuals and ever-blooming perennials. In pursuit of these lovelies, the vegetable


garden has been overlooked in favour of overflowing containers of these exotic plants that are sold already growing and guaran- teed to produce a profusion of stunning blooms. Now a new generation of gardeners is


emerging and this group of thirty- and even twenty-somethings have their eyes on much more: the thrill of growing their own plants


from seed and, particularly, the thrill of growing edibles. Many budding gardeners believe that


you have to start all plants indoors and they faithfully start their seed early. This can be discouraging for some would-be gardeners who are busy with work and kids. Don’t de- spair. You can plant many vegetables (and flowers, too, for that matter) straight into the soil as soon as the danger of frost has passed and once the soil is warm enough to germinate the seeds.


Flower seeds As well, many edibles and flowers can be


planted throughout the summer to prolong the harvest and the blooms. Annuals such as cosmos, bachelor buttons, schizanthus, sweet alyssum, love-in-a-mist all germinate


quickly and can be sown for a second fresh blooming in mid summer. These plants can also be sown in fall to get the earliest colour next spring. Hardy perennial seeds can also be sown directly into the ground, although some may take more than the first year to flower.


Spring flowering bulbs, and this includes


garlic, tulips and daffodils as well as many others, should be planted in the fall once frost as fallen. Summer flowering bulbs such as dahlia and gladiola need to be planted in springtime as they are not hardy enough to overwinter in the soil in most parts of this province.


Vegetables


Early maturing vegetables should be sown again in mid summer for a fall har-


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